Method for stacking and sheet interleafing frozen patties

ABSTRACT

A method and a machine for stacking frozen patties with sheets of paper or other suitable material between them, comprise the feeding of the patties in succession in file formation in a predetermined non-vertical path and through a stack-starting ring at the end of the path where the patties fall into a vertical stack on a table which is lowered step-by-step in timed relation to the feed of the patties, the cutting from the leading end of a roll of material a sheet which is inserted between each falling patty and the next preceding patty on the stack, and pushing of the stack horizontally from the table to a predetermined point such as a conveyor.

United States Patent [191 Benson et al.

[ Nov. 13, 1973 Alonzo E. Tull, Madison; William V. Weiveris, Union, all of NJ.

[73] Assignee: Bentul Equipment Corporation, Madison, NJ.

[22] Filed: June 1, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 148,583

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Lekan 53/157 Anhanger et al. 17/32 3,481,746 12/1969 Clemens et al. 99/107 Primary Examiner-Hyman Lord Attorney-Harry B. Rook [57] ABSTRACT A method and a machine for stacking frozen patties with sheets of paper or other suitable material between them, comprise the feeding of the patties in succession in file formation in a predetermined nonvertical path and through a stack-starting ring at the end of the path where the patties fall into a vertical stack on a table which is lowered step-by-step in timed relation to the feed of the patties, the cutting from the leading end of a roll of material a sheet which is inserted between each falling patty and the next preceding patty on the stack, and pushing of the stack horizontally from the table to a predetermined point such as a conveyor.

3 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures PATENTEUNUY 13 I975 SHEET '4 BF 7 l h n h u w m H 0 N Ns m w m W e e H J PATENTED NOV 13 I973 SHEET 6 OF 7 INVENTORS Ernesf J. Benson H101? z 0 E. Tull M!!! am 1/ Wen/ens TTORNEY METHOD FOR STACKING AND SHEET INTERLEAFING FROZEN PATTIES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates to a method and machine for stacking slices of material, for example, meat, and inserting or interleafing suitable sheet material, for example waxed paper sheets, between adjacent slices.

2. The Prior Art:

The prior art provides machines for slicing or molding soft material, such as ground meat, into the form of patties; machines for dropping the soft raw meat patties in succession to form a stack; and machines for feeding a paper sheet on the top of each patty before the dropping of the next patty. These machines are complicated and expensive and it is difficult to properly correlate the various machines and operations.

It has also been proposed to stack frozen patties but excessive trouble has been encountered in handling the pre-frozen patties and the machine operations have been too slow, too uncertain and require constant care and skill with consequent excessive cost.

SUMMARY A primary object of the present invention is to provide a method and machine which overcomes the objections to and disadvantages of the prior methods and machines, and by which rigid articles, particularly frozen patties as distinguished from soft or raw meat patties, are easily and quickly fed from a source of supply in succession and dropped by gravity into stacked formation, and a sheet of suitable material such as waxed paper, is cut from a rolled strip and projected beneath each patty as it drops onto the top of the stack, whereby the operation can be performed by a simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive machine which requires only a minimum of unskilled attention.

It is a further object to provide a novel and improved method and machine for guiding frozen patties into a stack onto a tray or table which is lowered step-by-step in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack, in combination with means for removing of the complete stack from said table onto a conveyor or other point of discharge.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved combination of a chute for feeding the patties in file formation step-by-step, and a stack starting ring at a predetermined point in said path by which movement of each patty flatwise in one direction in a non-vertical plane is interrupted and translated into vertical movement and to cause the patties to fall by gravitational action into a stack.

The invention also contemplates a novel and improved combination including means for severing pieces of paper from a rolled strip in timed relation to the feed of the patties whereby a piece of paper is projected loosely onto a paper holder beneath said stackstarting ring so that the patty falling through said ring will push the piece of paper downwardly and interleave it between the falling patty and the next preceding patty in the stack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a machine embodying the invention for stacking and sheetinterleafing frozen patties;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the top and discharge end of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view through the parts shown in FIG. 3 with portions omitted for clearness in illustration;

- FIG. 5 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional plan view on the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view approximately from the plane of the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 88 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a view in part similar to FIG. 4 but showing a stack of patties on the stack supporting tray and showing the tray in its lower position preliminary to discharge of the stack on to the conveyor;

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the parts shown in FIG. 9 but with the tray in its uppermost position, as viewed from the plane of the line l0l0 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 1l11 of FIG. 2 with portions omitted for clearness in illustration;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevation approximately on the plane of the line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged transverse sectional view approximately on the plane of the line l3--l3 of FIG. 1 illustrating the paper severing mechanism;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stack supporting tray and stack discharging mechanism viewed from the side opposite that'shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the side of the machine opposite that illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a combined sectional and elevational view taken approximately on the plane of the line 16--l6 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic composite side elevational view of the programming or timing cams.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A generally designates means for arranging the patties B, indicated in FIG. 2 by broken lines, into file formation and for directing the patties to means C for feeding the patties one at a time and guiding them through a predetermined other than vertical path, preferably an inclined path to stack-starting means D at a predetermined point, preferably the end of said path which diverts the patties into a vertical path through which the patties fall by gravitational action into stacked relation with sheets of suitable material between them onto a tray or table E which is lowered step-by-step by means N and from which the stack of patties is removed or pushed by means M onto a belt takeaway conveyor F, or to a suitable point of discharge.

For inserting the sheets of material between the patties, a strip G of material for example wax paper is unrolled from a roll H by paper feed mechanism I stepby-step to project beneath each falling patty in timed relation to the feed of the patties the leading end portion of the strip which is severed from the strip by cutting mechanism generally designated K so that as each patty falls from the stack starting means D it pushes the sheet downwardly onto the next preceding patty in the stack which is generally designated L and best shown in FIG. 9.

Now more specifically describing the invention, the means A is shown as comprising an inclined sub-frame including a pair of parallel bars ll mounted on a main frame of the machine and having an endless belt conveyor 2 mounted on rollers 3 journaled in the bars 1. One of the rollers is driven by a belt and pulley connection 4 between the shaft 5 of the roller and a speed reducing gear 6 which is driven through a belt and pulley connection 7 from an electric motor 8 mounted on the main frame so as to continuously move the upper reach of the belt upwardly. The frozen patties or other rigid flat articles B are fed in random manner from a suitable source onto the conveyor belt 2 near its lower end and are moved by the belt toward the upper end thereof between guide rails 9 which have deflector fins 10 for gradually guiding the patties into file formation between parallel portions 11 of the rails which are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the patty so as to arrange the patties in flatwise edge-toedge relation in file formation at the upper end of the belt. At spaced points in the length of the sub-frame, cross rails 12 are secured to the rails 9 at a height slightly greater than the thickness of the patties so as to dislodge any patty that might become superposed on another.

At the upper end of the belt the patties are guided into means C for feeding the patties one at a time into a predetermined non-vertical, preferably inclined path which is formed by an inclined chute 13 down which the patties slide by gravity. Intermediate the ends of the chute is an escapement device P which controls the feed of the patties down the chute one at a time in succession and spaced apart a predetermined distance. The escapement mechanism is shown as including a wire frame 14 pivotally mounted on a shaft 15 on the bottom side of the chute and having two sets of detent fingers 16 and 17 so located on the frame that when the frame is oscillated in one direction the fingers 17 hold back the leading patty, and the fingers 16 release the next succeeding patty, while when the frame is oscillated in the opposite direction the fingers 17 release the leading patty to the stackstarting ring D at the end of the chute and the next succeeding patty is held back by the fingers 16. The escapement frame F is normally urged in one direction by a tension spring 18 and is swung in the other direction by an arm 19 on the shaft 15 which is engaged by an actuating block 20 adjustably mounted on a slidably mounted gear rack bar 21 which meshes with a pinion 22 that forms a part of a known type of one way clutch mechanism 23 which is mounted on a shaft 24 joumaled on super-frame and also carries one strip feeding roller 26 between which and another idler roller 26a is fed the strip G of material. The rack bar is shown as actuated by a known type of reciprocable fluid pressure motor which includes a piston and cylinder combination 25, the piston rod 28 of which is connected by a link 29 to the rack bar. The fluid under pressure to and from the piston and cylinder motor through tubes 27a is controlled by a cam 30 of a programming mechanism generally designated Q (FIGS. 1, 15, 16 and 17). With this construction, the strip G of material such as wax paper is fed in steps of predetermined length in timed relation to the feed of the patties through the chute C to the stack starting ring D so that the leading end portion of the strip is projected beneath the stack-starting ring, preferably lying on horizontally spaced resilient support wires 31 conveniently mounted on the bottom side of the stack starting ring as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The leading end portion of the strip is severed to form a sheet by a cutting blade 32 fixed on the frame and a shearing blade 33 which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 34 on the machine frame and has a cutting edge 35 at one end and a pivotal connection at its other end at 36 to the piston rod 37 of a piston and cylinder device the cylinder 38 of which is preferably longitudinally adjustable and is pivotally connected at the end opposite the piston rod to the superframe as indicated at 39 in FIG. 13.

The shearing blade may be motor-operated by the device 37,38 in both directions or it may be controlled so that the cutting edge is swung into cutting position by the fluid pressure and allowed to return to its normal position shown in FIG. 13 by gravity or under the influence of a torsion spring mounted on the pivot pin 34. The operation of the knife is controlled by a cam 40 in the programming mechanism, and as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 the paper feed cam 30 and the knife cam 40 each has the same number of cam projections which are designated 41 on the cam 36 and 42 on the cam 40, corresponding to the number of patties to be arranged in one stack, so that in the present instance with four patties in a stack, one complete revolution of the cam shaft 43 on which the cams are mounted will result in operation of the paper feed mechanism and the knife four times. The cams 30 and 40 have the respective corresponding dwells 44 and 45 for holding the paper feed and knife inactive during the removal of the stack of patties from the table E by the mechanism M which is under control of the cam 46 the single cam projection 47 of which controls the supply of fluid under pressure to and from the piston and cylinder device whose cylinder 48a is mounted on the superframe and whose piston rod 490 is connected to a slide block a fixed on the superframe and having connected thereto the pull rod 51a of the mechanism M.

The tray or table E to receive the stack of patties is shown as comprising a support bar 48 mounted on guide rods 49 which are vertically slidably mounted in a guide block 50 on the superframe. The table is raised and lowered by an actuating rod 51 also slidably mounted in the guide block 50 and having its upper end rigidly connected to the support bar 48. The support bar has a plurality of horizontally spaced upstanding lugs 52 to each of which is connected a wire 53 having a horizontal portion 54 in the same horizontal plane with the corresponding portions of the other wires. The wires 53 also have the corresponding vertical portions 55 in a common vertical plane each of which is movable in the space between two adjacent sections 56 of the takeaway conveyor F which is shown as comprising a plurality of the sections 56 horizontally spaced apart and mounted on rollers 57 carried by a shaft 58 which is shown as journaled in side frame bars 59 and driven by a belt and pulley, or chain and sprocket, connection 60 between the shaft 48 and the shaft 5 of the upper roller of the feed conveyor A. The horizontal portions 54 of the table wires are shown vertically actuated by a cam 61 on a shaft 62 which has a chain and a sprocket connection 63 with a drive shaft 64 which is driven by an electric motor 65 whose shaft has a pinion 66 meshing with a gear 67 on the shaft 64 and also meshing with a pinion 68 on the cam shaft 43 to drive the latter. The actuating rod 51 for the table has a follower roller 69 coacting with the cam 61.

While other means may be utilized, this construction provides for a lowering of the table E generally in timed relation to the dropping of the patties through the stack-starting ring onto the stack, and of course, in timed relation to the insertion of the sheet of material between the patties. In FIG. 15, the table is shown at its uppermost position ready to receive the first sheet of material and the first patty of the stack thereon, while FIG. 9 shows the table at its lowermost position with the bottom patty slightly above the plane of the takeaway conveyor F. When the table is in this position as shown in FIG. 9, the mechanism M is actuated to remove or push the stack of patties from the table onto the conveyor or to some other suitable point. As shown, the mechanism M for pushing the stack off the table, includes in addition to the pull rod 51 hereinbefore described, a plurality of wires 70 having horizontal portions 71 in a common plane and connected at one end to a portion 72 of the pull rod 51 which extends transversely of the table and the conveyor beneath the upper reach of the conveyor. The horizontal portions of the wires 71 normally are disposed in the notches between the lugs 52 of the table support bar 48 and have upturned vertical end portions 73 which during the formation of the stack of patties are disposed in a common vertical plane at the rear side of the stack as shown by solid lines in FIG. 9. Upon completion of the stack, the mechanism F is actuated by its motor 48 under control of the cam 46 so as to move the push-off mechanism toward the conveyor so that the upstanding end portions 73 of the wires push the stack ahead of them off the table and onto the conveyor as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 9, the end portion 72 of the pull rod being disposed beneath the upper reach of the conveyor and the portions 73 moving in spaces between the conveyor belt sections 56.

It is desirable that the stack-starting ring D have means for adjusting it to receive and properly locate for stacking patties of different diameters; and to this end, the ring has a main opening 75 through which any patty of smaller diameter than the opening may drop vertically in a horizontal position. To insure that the leading patty as it emerges from the chute C drops through the ring, the ring has located thereon diametrically opposite the chute, a patty stop plate 76 which is horizontally adjustable by slot and screw connection 77, and desirably similar lugs 78 are adjustably mounted on the ring-with their ends projecting into the opening 75, to accommodate patties of different diameters. It will be understood that the leading patty slides down the chute into a horizontal position, is stopped by the lug 76 and then falls vertically by gravity through the opening 75 onto the table E.

The operation of the machine will be generally understood from the foregoing description and while the sheets of material may be fed between the patties in other ways, it is desirably to utilize the roll H of the strip material and journal it on the frame for rotation by an electric motor 80 which is controlled by a switch 81 that is actuated by a sensor or feeler arm 82 which normally overlies the strip between the roll and the guide plate 83 over which the strip is pulled between rollers 25,26. When a predetermined amount of tension is exerted on the strip by the rollers, the loop beneath the sensor is shortened and the sensor is actuated by the strip to close the switch 81 and start the motor to unwind a limited amount of the strip until the sensor is disengaged from the strip.

It is desirable that adequate pressure be maintained between the rollers 25,26 and the strip of material, and to this end the roller 26 has trunnions 85 located in enlarged openings 86 in the superframe and normally biased to press the roller toward the roller 25 by compression springs 87 interposed between the trunnions and abutment plates 88 on the frame. (see FIGS. 11 and 12). Also preferably the roller is adjustable to properly align its axis with the axis of the roller 25, and to this end adjusting screws 89 are mounted in brackets 90 on the superframe at opposite sides of the shaft, each with one end abutting the shaft, whereby the ends of the shaft may be independently adjusted horizontally to provide the desired alignment.

While the invention contemplates any suitable programming mechanism, a simple mechanism is shown comprising the cams 30,45 and 46 each of which has a follower roller mounted on an actuating rod 96 of a fluid pressure valve 97 which controls one of the fluid pressure motors hereinbefore described in proper timed relation to each other.

While we have shown and described a now preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that many modifications and changes can be made in the construction and operation of the machine within the spirit and scope of the invention, and while we have shown and described the inclined feeding conveyor A and inclined chute C, the invention contemplates the feed of the patties through any non-vertical path such that the movement of the patties is translated into a vertical path by the falling of the patties through the stack-starting ring onto a suitable stacking table from which the stacks are periodically removed to a desired point of discharge.

We claim:

1. The method of stacking frozen meat patties with a sheet of flexible paper material between the patties consisting of the steps:

arranging the patties in flatwise edge-to-edge relation in file formation,

feeding the patties one at a time and guiding the patties flatwise through a predetennined nonvertical path,

diverting the patties at a predetermined point in said path into a vertical path along which the patties fall into parallel superposed stacked relation to each other, and

inserting a loose sheet of said paper material transversely of said vertical path beneath each patty during the fall of the patty through said vertical path to the top of the stack, the leading end portion of a strip of paper material being fed into said vertical path and severed from the strip to provide said loose sheet in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack so that each patty presses a sheet of said material between itself and the next lower patty in the stack.

2. The method of stacking frozen meat patties as de fined in claim 1 wherein the stack of patties is lowered in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack, and the stack is moved laterally out of the said vertical path to a predetermined location.

3. The method of stacking frozen meat patties with a sheet of paper between the patties consisting of the steps of:

arranging the patties in flat edge-to-edge relation in file formation,

elevating the patties to a predetermined point,

guiding the patties flatwise edge-to-edge downwardly by gravitational action through an inclined path, releasing the patties one at a time from said point, diverting the patties into a vertical path through the next lower patty in the stack. 

1. The method of stacking frozen meat patties with a sheet of flexible paper material between the patties consisting of the steps: arranging the patties in flatwise edge-to-edge relation in file formation, feeding the patties one at a time and guiding the patties flatwise through a predetermined non-vertical path, diverting the patties at a predetermined point in said path into a vertical path along which the patties fall into parallel superposed stacked relation to each other, and inserting a loose sheet of said paper material transversely of said vertical path beneath each patty during the fall of the patty through said vertical path to the top of the stack, the leading end portion of a strip of paper material being fed into said vertical path and severed from the strip to provide said loose sheet in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack so that each patty presses a sheet of said material between itself and the next lower patty in the stack.
 2. The method of stacking frozen meat patties as defined in claim 1 wherein the stack of patties is lowered in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack, and the stack is moved laterally out of the said vertical path to a predetermined location.
 3. The method of stacking frozen meat patties with a sheet of paper between the patties consisting of the steps of: arranging the patties in flat edge-to-edge relation in file formation, elevating the patties to a predetermined point, guiding the patties flatwise edge-to-edge downwardly by gravitational action through an inclined path, releasing the patties one at a time from said point, diverting the patties into a vertical path through which the patties fall into parallel superposed stacked relation to each other, and inserting a loose sheet of paper transversely of said vertical path beneath each patty during the fall of the patty through said vertical path to the top of the stack, the leading end portion of a strip of paper material being fed into said vertical path and severed from the strip to provide said loose sheet in timed relation to the dropping of the patties onto the stack so that each patty presses a sheet of paper between itself and the next lower patty in the stack. 